Category: Social Media Marketing

Verve Coffee, started in 2007, operates 12 cafes, has a hefty B2B business and recently launched a canned beverage. March 21, 2019 7 min read What do Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Airbnb and Salesforce have in common? Plenty of things, of course, but one odd detail is that many of their employees are drinking Verve Coffee. The company, founded in 2007 by Ryan O’Donovan and Colby Barr, helped bring the so-called “third wave of coffee,” in which coffee consumers started becoming invested in how their brew was prepared and where the beans were sourced from. Related: How This Coffee Startup Rocketed to National Retail Within a Few Months of Its Launch What started out as a single cafe in Santa Cruz has evolved into an international business. Verve now runs nine standalone cafes in California — including one on Facebook’s Menlo Park campus — and three in Japan, and also provides coffee for […]

One enduring challenge with content marketing is how quickly it can turn into the content treadmill. This week, we’ve got 21 recommendations for specific ways you can make your content marketing do its job — without consuming every minute of your time. On Monday, Stefanie Flaxman shared seven content projects you might take on if you were handling marketing for your local coffee shop. (The post also features both Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen quotes. #ftw) On Tuesday, Pamela Wilson came by to help us avoid the perils of cringeworthy stock photos in our content. (You know the ones. Who is that lady, and why does eating salad make her laugh?) Pamela will help you choose imagery that feels natural, that evokes the right emotional reaction for your audience, and that avoids the whole “people in suits jumping in the air” cheese factor. And on Wednesday, I answered a question […]

Over the past decade, clickbait headlines have proliferated on all sorts of Web content. They have shown up on blogs with increasing frequency “The 5 social media marketing secrets to drive your business now” and they appear on sponsored content on media sites all the time “7 heart-warming photos of babies that you won’t believe”. Now I’m seeing clickbait headlines on the websites of mainstream media sites including the Washington Post and New York Times, frequently including a phrase similar to “Here’s what you need to know”. Related posts: Effective Facebook Marketing Strategies for Business Owners How To Build Business Momentum and Escape the ‘6-Figure Hamster Wheel’ Facebook: Don’t Even Think of Trying to Bait Our Users In a World of Social Media, Content Is Even More King Amazon Boosts Minimum Wage to $15 Per Hour Mixing Business with your Personal Life on Social Networks Optimizing Annual Conference And Event […]

Michael Schultz founded both Fairgrounds Coffee, which serves coffees and teas from different brewers, and Infuse Hospitality, a provider of custom cafes. Read_More Related posts: This Entrepreneur Crashed and Burned Out from Stress. Now He’s on a Mission to Change the ‘Hustle’ Lifestyle. This Successful Media Executive Shares a Surprising Truth About What You Must Do to Secure Your Place at the Top What You Need to Know to Launch a Successful Podcast New Podcast Showcases Successful Female Founders Restaurant Technology Needs Are Serving up Great Entrepreneur Opportunities Why the Most Successful Businesses Follow These 7 Natural Laws SPI 245: How Sol Orwell Builds Successful Businesses by Solving His Own Problems 4 Successful Ways Businesses Need to Adapt to a Growing Hispanic Demographic

Go about reviews the right way and you’ll earn respect and trust in the process. Cheat and you risk everything you’ve built. March 20, 2019 5 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. When early technologists first created the framework for the internet, few understood how vital it would be to build trust and stand out in an expansive sea of hundreds of thousands of businesses, all moving in unison to establish an online presence. Today’s entrepreneurs, in contrast, understand this problem so well that they’ve inadvertently set off an arms race for those coveted five-star reviews. Related: Amazon Sues Alleged Sellers of Bogus 5-Star Product Reviews At this stage, however, the arms race is pretty much over. “We deal with a lot of skepticism, asking people to purchase our luxury product sight unseen,” Leon Rbibo, president of jewelry businesses The Pearl Source and Laguna Pearl, pointed out to […]

It has no physical form, and therefore little or no development cost; but a ‘digital product’ like an ebook or audio cost can earn you a bundle. March 20, 2019 5 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. In the past, creating your very own product may have seemed like a pipedream. There was so much work involved in building a product, not to mention the fortune often required just to get a product to market. But not anymore. Related: Research Finds Digital Goods Area a Tougher Sell Than Entrepreneurs Think Now, anyone can create a digital product and make money online. One of the biggest perks of creating this category of product is that you create it once and sell it over and over again. So, what does a “digital product” mean? It means a product without a physical form. Consider these examples: ebooks and pdf guides video tutorials […]

March 20, 2019 5 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. As the SaaS industry grows, and even video games move closer to a subscription basis, this is a good time to take a look at subscription model-oriented growth strategies. Related: You Too Can Grow a Successful Subscription Company. Here’s How. Remember, subscription-based businesses have their own unique benefits and pitfalls. Customer acquisition isn’t everything, and you need to take extra care in order to nurture and build trust with subscribers. Here are five strategies for doing that: 1. Keep an eye on your competition; update your pricing model often. If the price isn’t right for the customer, then your business is going nowhere. Your offer must be priced at a level that feels right to your target audience. If it’s too cheap, your customers may not value your offering. If it’s too expensive, either they won’t buy, or they’ll become reluctant […]

“Prove it” is pretty much the name of the game at this point. As SEOs, we invest so much effort into finding opportunities for our clients, executing strategies, and on the best days, getting the results we set out to achieve. That’s why it feels so deflating (not to mention mind-boggling) when, after all those increases in rankings, traffic, and conversions our work produced, our clients still aren’t satisfied. Where’s the disconnect? The value of SEO in today’s search landscape You don’t have to convince SEOs that their work is valuable. We know full well how our work benefits our clients’ websites. Our attention on crawling and indexing ensures that search engine bots crawl all our clients’ important pages, that they’re not wasting time on any unimportant pages, and that only the important, valuable pages are in the index. Because we understand how Googlebot and other crawlers work, we’re cognizant […]

To measure the success of your direct mail efforts, you’ve got to test your campaigns first. Follow these guidelines to get the most bang from your buck. March 20, 2019 6 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. The following excerpt is from Robert W. Bly’s book The Direct Mail Revolution: How to Create Profitable Direct Mail Campaigns in a Digital World. Buy it now from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | IndieBound In direct mail (DM), testing is the process of putting a letter or package in the mail, counting the replies, and coming to a conclusion based on the results. Testing is a huge advantage that direct marketers have over branding and general advertisers: We first do a small test to determine whether our direct-mail package works. If it does, we can gradually expand the campaign. On the other hand, if the […]

The Hippie Nano Plus Vaporizer is a tiny accessory that packs a powerful puff. March 20, 2019 2 min read Opinions expressed by Green Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. The results are in: vaping is one of the most popular ways to consume your CBD and THC in cannabis-friendly California, and it’s maintaining a stronghold in medical and recreational industries in other states. It’s easy to see why vaping is so popular — you can control your cannabis intake more easily than you can with edibles, and it’s not as harsh on your lungs as joints or glass pipes. The only drawback to vaping is the size of vaporizers. Most models are at […]

This executive says a well-executed marketing plan must be thorough, but specific. March 20, 2019 2 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. In this video, Entrepreneur Network partner Business Rockstars talks with the CMO of Marketing by Data, Jason Wright, who talks about how his company approaches marketing and targeting customers. Marketing by Data concentrates on three tiers of customers: potential customers, paid customers and the remainder of people who may become potential customers. Wright explains that many CMOs will jump on phone calls themselves and talk to customers, just to get a better sense of their businesses and the engagement of their customers. He says the role of a chief marketing officer is like one of his favorite movies, Snatch, which follows a secret plan wrought behind the scenes. Click the video to hear more. Related: How This Entrepreneur Became His Own Boss by Taking Financial Risks Entrepreneur Network is a premium video […]

Early results find cannabis helps many patients with a wide range of symptoms. March 20, 2019 3 min read Brought to you by The Fresh Toast The scientific community has struggled to gain a solid understanding of children suffering from autism. Since this condition affects every child differently, no blanket treatment option has yet been developed to give doctors are starting point when dealing with these patients. There is anecdotal evidence suggesting that cannabis might be part of the solution — similar to how it is for epilepsy — yet American researchers have been hindered from digging deeper into the possible benefits. But all is not lost. Scientists in Israel appear to have uncovered definitive proof that medical marijuana can help autistic kids deal with the worst of their symptoms and live a better quality of life. Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and Soroka University Medical Center […]

In addition to guest posting on the UpCity blog, Boostability is featured as one of the Top Digital Marketing Agencies in Boise, ID. Check out their profile here. Ask around to companies big and small and every single one of them is going to tell you that they’re planning to spend more on digital marketing this year. If you’re a small business owner, you might be searching high and low for the tool that gives you a competitive edge against them. It turns out that call tracking is a great way for businesses of any size to streamline their model and ensure they attract the customers they’re looking for. Here are five reasons to try out call tracking this year. 1. Manage Your Return on Investment One of the biggest costs for any business is what you end up paying in labor costs. Labor costs are digging into your profits during every hour that you’re operating […]

No matter how well you plan or how far ahead you think, unexpected expenses and market shifts will catch you out. Then thinking on your feet alone will determine whether your company survives. March 20, 2019 5 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Emergencies and unexpected developments are part of being an entrepreneur. No matter how well you plan or how far ahead you think, you’ll eventually be forced to pay an unexpected expense, deal with an equipment malfunction, or face the consequences of a full-staff departure. There are always ways around these challenges, whether you take out a short-term loan or hire temporary workers. But how you respond to these challenges will define you and shape your business for years to come. Related: 5 Preventable Disasters That Have Ruined Countless Startups Take inspiration from these successful businesses, all of which were saved from a risky situation, […]

Project management software is the ultimate solution for businesses looking to stay organized. The program allows you to collaborate on tasks with your team members. You can share progress reports and documents too. The project management tools help you delegate assignments to your employees. Related blog posts and resources: It’s evident that project management goes beyond collaborating on tasks. This guide focuses on answering one question: What is project management software? What is Project Management Software? Project management software definition can be extracted from the following questions: Is your company looking for a tool for organizing assets? Do you want a solution that facilitates smooth communication between your vendors, clients or team members? Are you looking for a solution for budget tracking or scheduling? New project managers may find it overwhelming to manage several project components at once. Project management software programs allow them to scale up their processes for […]

Great achievements begin with a goal and a plan. March 20, 2019 8 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Elite athletes push themselves to perform at an extraordinarily high level. Whether they’re winning gold medals or taking their team to the championships, elite athletes find ways to push their bodies and minds beyond what the rest of us are capable of. While most of us will never be able to replicate elite athletes’ success on the field, court or balance beam, we can all learn from the traits that motivate them. We may not be capable of taking on the grueling training and unyielding competition that an elite athlete faces, but we all aspire to achieve our own successes and reach our own goals. We all seek to perform at the highest level possible and set ourselves apart in our respective fields. By studying the habits […]

Creating a website is overwhelming. Don’t worry, that’s completely natural when building your first website. When we built our first sites, it was so complicated. And so many articles and YouTube videos on how to create a website made it seem a lot easier than it ended up being. We’ve outlined all the specific steps below on how to create your own website. We included everything that we learned over the years from building hundreds of sites. We’re here to help. This page is a collection of 70+ guides.You won’t need to read them all in order to build your website. Browse through and read what’s relevant to your situation. This will save you countless hours of frustration. Our General Take on Building A Website Don’t get confused by all of the different options for creating a website. WordPress is King In most cases, we highly recommend to build your […]

Sales is the original equal opportunity job. Anyone who is gregarious, diligent and resourceful can succeed. March 19, 2019 6 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. If you’ve ever been involved with sales, then you know that it’s not for the faint of heart. Whether it’s selling a pair of sneakers at a store, a new heating system to homeowners or pitching a startup to investors, making that sale depends on the knowledge and enthusiasm of the salesperson. There is a saying that salesmen are born, not taught. But that’s not exactly the case. Of course, some have a natural talent, but you can certainly develop the characteristics needed to be an an effective and successful salesperson. Read_More Related posts: What Content Creators Need to Succeed on YouTube If Your Sales Pitch Is Missing This Step, You May Miss Out on the Sale Ditch the Sales Script and Do This Instead Maybe Your Sales […]

You need to put lots of thought and effort into every page of your website. But your About page is arguably one of the most important pages by far. Is it really that big of a deal? How many visitors will actually take the time to check out your About page? Well, here’s an interesting statistic. According to a study from KoMarketing, “52% of your visitors want to see an About page.” Without one, you’re instantly creating some distance between your company and over half of your visitors. That’s why an About page is more important than you may think. And here’s something else I’ve noticed. A lot of brands (even some of the bigger ones) lack in the About page department. Some fail to include an About page altogether, and others halfheartedly slap one together without putting any real thought into it. Such About pages often miss the mark, […]

Google wants to make YouTube a centerpiece for accessing and sharing game streaming content. March 19, 2019 3 min read This story originally appeared on PCMag Google’s cloud gaming service, Stadia, will launch later this year and support 4K game streams. Stadia will run on a custom chip from AMD, which has the combined computing power of a Sony Playstation 4 and an Xbox One, Google said at GDC. It will allow Google’s data centers around the world to stream 4K gaming content at 60 frames per second, with HDR and surround sound over any hardware — smartphone, tablet, Chromecast-enabled TV, or PC. All you’ll need is access to the Chrome browser and a steady internet connection. In the future, Stadia will also be to stream games at 8K resolutions and at 120 frames per second. Google’s cloud gaming service aims to make YouTube the centerpiece for accessing and sharing game streaming content. For […]

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